Playing On

In the summer of 2012 I, along with most of the country, was captivated by the London Olympics. I sincerely hope that the legacy of the Games will be to improve and develop sporting facilities in this country so that Britain can compete on the world stage to the new level of expectation that will inevitably follow our fantastic medal haul. However, the whole emphasis of the Games, the closing ceremony and all talk of legacy was, and is, about the young. In terms of sport at national and international level this is right; it is essential that we provide the young with the facilities and encouragement they need to allow their talent to flourish. However, at lower levels of sport it is very often the older participants who keep the sports clubs running or who in some way enable other, younger people to play the game.
Thus, my concept for this body of work was to find a number of people over 60 years of age who still actively participate in different sports, and to produce a series of documentary style portraits aiming to show the spirit, determination and pleasure that sport continues to bring to older generations.